1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to self-heating containers for beverages and the like, such as coffee, tea, soups, etc., and has particular reference to a container in the form of a self-heating cup which may also be used for drinking purposes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Self-heating cups have long been desired by travelers, outdoorsmen, sportsmen and others who do not always have the convenience of ready availability of electricity or other sources of heat whereby to heat beverages and other liquids and to maintain the same in heated condition until or while being consumed.
Attempts have been made in the past to provide such self-heating cups but in general they have been unsatisfactory. For example, the U.S. Pat. No. 2,893,376 to A. J. Pasqua discloses a self-heating cup wherein liquid fuel is contained within a combined reservoir and burner attached to the bottom of the cup. However, in order to prevent such cup from becoming unwieldy to handle, the base must be restricted in size so that only a small amount of liquid fuel can be contained therein. Also, such arrangement is considered hazardous since the highly volatile fuel is stored directly adjacent the burner.
The U.S. Pat. No. 3,978,844 to A. J. Wilkens discloses a self-heating cooking utensil in which liquid fuel is carried in a hollow handle which extends outwardly from the utensil. Although this arrangement may be satisfactory for cooking foods, it cannot be satisfactorily used as a drinking cup because of the displacement of the handle which would make it distinctly awkward and unsatisfactory to be held for drinking purposes. Further, although the liquid fuel container is located remotely from the burner, the fuel, which is normally stored in liquid form, would run directly to the burner in its liquid state and would therefore be burned in an inefficient and wasteful manner. Also, of course, heat from the burner could be conducted directly to the fuel container which is considered hazardous in view of the volatility of liquid fuels.